Ronald Koeman is apparently about to bring Lille central midfielder Idrissa Gueye to the South coast club for £7million to take over from the departing Frenchman in the middle of the park. Should he be successful in signing the Senegal international it could open the door to Arsene Wenger getting one of his key targets.

The 25-year-old could be perfect to play alongside Francis Coquelin for the Gunners. While the current Emirates ace tends to stay back and break up any resulting counter attacks when the team goes forward, Schneiderlin is more of a box-to-box midfielder who contributes in attack as well as defence. His five goals this season are a testament to this.

It also looks like Arsenal have managed to fight off interest from North London rivals Tottenham for the France international. Schneiderlin has admitted that he wants to be playing Champions League football, putting the Gunners in the driving seat.